Stabilizer for self-energized multipleunit railroad car trains



A@ fyi July 22, 1958 A. M. MIERS ET AL STABILIZER FOR SELF-ENERGIZED MULTIPLE-UNIT RAILROAD CAR TRAINS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 18, 1953 July 22, 1958 A. M. Mlx-:Rs ET AL 2,844,106

STABILIZER FOR SELF-ENERGIZED MULTIPLE-UNIT RAILROAD CAR TRAINS Filed Nov. 18, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 A. M. MIERS ET AL 2,844,106 STARILIZER RoR SELF-ENERGIZED MULTIPLE-UNIT RAILROAD CAR TRAINS July 22, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed Nov. 18, 1955 AF s l Il I L T|| l l JIIM IIN |,ll .,1. l IFVI |I O, N MWWWM. mq v f ET: FWNM/ R MA R A [.mn. (s (l im H) JIL Q 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 SKT MIERS ET AL RAILROAD CAR TRAINS STABILIZER FOR SELF-ENERGIZED MULTIPLE-UNIT .M F L n|| |||||ll lHHfr Illrl July 22,

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A. M. MIERs ETAL 2,844,106 STABILIZER FOR SELF-ENERGIZED MULTIPLE-UNIT RAILROAD CAR TRAINS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 July 22, 1958 Filed Nov. 18, 1953 United States atentv 1 2,844,106 STABILIZER FOR SELF-ENERGIZED MULTIPLE-y UNIT RAILROAD CAR TRAINS Archie M. Miers and William Van Der Sluys, Homewood, Ill., assignors to Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware ApplicationNovember 18, 1953, Serial No. 392,884,

10 Claims. (Cl. 105-3) Themost annoying characteristic of modern railroad cars is the tendency to oscillate about a vertical axis which gives a violent lateral motion to the ends of the car. The principal object of this invention is to prevent that oscillation, particularly in self-energized multiple-unit frailroad car trains.

Generally speaking, this is accomplished by curving adjacent portions of the car units and providing friction buer means between them constantly resisting the tendency to oscillate with strong but yielding pressure'.

`Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as the description is read in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. lis a side elevation of a generator unit and portion of a driving car unit equipped with means embodying theinvention; A W

FigfZ is'an inverted plan View of Figf 1 with the trucks indicated in broken lines; 1` i Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic side elevation corresponding toFig. 1 emphasizing the connection between the two units and the stabilizing buier;

" Fig. 4 is an inverted plan view corresponding to Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged side elevation showing adjacent portions of the car unit frames, the connection between them,jand the bufer means; e

Fig. 6 is avertical section along the center line of the carwithparts'broken away;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged plan View of the buffer means with parts broken away;

Fig. 8 is a vertical cross-section on the line 8--8 of Fig. 7; and

Fig. 9 is a horizontal section on the line 9-9 of Fig. 5.

But these diagrammatic drawings and the descriptionl are for the purpose of illustrative disclosure only, and are not intended to impose unnecessary limitations on the claims.

In the drawings, a generating unit and a driving cary As best shown in Fig. 1, the generating unit includes` a prime mover 16 driving an electric generator 17 both mounted on a frame 18 carried by wheeled truck means 19.

The driving car unit 11 in this illustrative embodiment includes a two-level and double-deck coach body 20 mounted on and carried by trucks 21 having traction motors 22 energized by current from the generating unit and delivered, to the motors through suitable means chosen from -those familiar to the art.

The general arrangement corresponds to that disclosed in the copending application of Gray et al. Ser. No. 378,562, iled September 4, 1953, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

The connection between the generating unit and the driving unit 11 is..here shown as including a forked coupler tongue 24 having arms 25 connected to `the frame 18 of the generating unit at 26 and 27, and connected to the frame of the driving car unit by ball and socket joint generally indicated at 28.

Itv willibeap'parent from Figs. 2, 3, and 4 that the ball joint connection 28 between the driving car unit 11 and the coupler tongue 24 is located forwardly of the center plate connection -of the forward supporting truck 21 for thelv driving can Thus when the train of the present in-V 2` vention is traversingr curved track, the ball joint connection 28 is displaced outwardly with respect to the track centerline andthe coupler .tongue becomes more nearly tangentially alignedwith respect to the track por-1 tion that is being traversed by the single supporting truck 19 of the generator unit.

Since the generator unit has only one supporting truclc,

the reaction betweenthe couplertongue 24 and driving carunit delivers an important steering action to the gen-1 The fact that the. ball joint connectionA 1serator unit. l located endwise of the forward truck results 1n a more stable steering actionon curved track. It is contemplated,

moreover, that the truck 19 of the generator `unit may be non-tractive in which case the stability of the supple.- mental steering .action described above becomes' e'ven more important. v

As shownin Figs. 2, 4, 7, and 9, the rear end of the generating unit is concave, asv indicated at 30, represented by a sill .structure curved on a radius from the f' center ofthe ball joint 28. The front end of the driving car unit'is convex, as indicated at 31', and is represented by a 'sill curved on a radius from the same center, and the two curved surfaces are spaced apart.

The framing shown somewhat in detail is deemed sufcient forear builders without specific description.

As shown in'Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, 32 indicates-centerl sills' of the driving car; 33 a cross member between the sills; 34.a pin connecting the fork 35 vof an air cylinder 36 with across member 33. The Vcylinder 36 is provided with a piston 37 anda piston rod 38 pivotedvat 39 to a boxlike thrust member 40 running between the center sills,where they are provided with brake lining or the like 41 and supported on runners or rails 42 and held fromvertical movement by overhead strips 43.

The front of the thrust member 40 is fitted with abronze wear shoe 44 urged against and frictionally en-v gaging a manganese steel wear plate 45 on the sill 30. f

Air' pressure for operating the piston 37 is taken by a pipe 46 from the main reservoir, which has air under two units in passing over vertical and horizontal curves- -in the track, elevations at curves, and unavoidable movements over rail joints and crossings.

'The buffer takes care of all the slack by providing strong but yielding pressure between the two units, tending at all times to separate them, whereas the connection tends at all times to hold them together.

VThe pressure between the shoe 44 and the wearA plate 45 is approximately constant, but, of course, must yield when the connection is bent upwardly and mu-st recover when it returns to normal or is bent downwardly.

The strong 'and yielding pressure between the shoe 44 I Wand the plate 45 constantly resists the tendency to oscillate and maintains substantially stable conditions in the units.

The damping action of the butter arrangement whereby `oscillations about a vertical 4axis are eliminated cooperlates with the steering action of the coupler tongue since it causes the units toY seek out and maintain Vtheir intended alignment rwhen rounding curves. The ball joint connection` is llocated at the point that gives the most Y 1effective steering action and the buffer holds the units in; their intended alignment in order to take advantage of this 1 Patented July 22, .-19581- pre-selected optimum mounting location for the coupler tongue.

The heavy generating unit has suflicient inertia to offer appropriate resistance to the oscillation of the driving unit through the contact between the shoe 44 and the plate 45 when urged together 'by the piston 37.

vThe interlocking adjacent curved ends of the units cooperate with the pressure 'between the shoe 44 and the plate 45 to effect the stabilization.

Long travel springs of steel or rubber may be used instead of iair pressure, but the latter is preferred because of its fairly constant action and also the ease with which it can be released and applied when the un-its are tobe uncoupled or coupled.

We claim:

1. In a self-energized, multiple-unit car train, a driving car unit including a wheeled iframe, a separate generating unit including a wheeled frame, a vpropelling connection between said driving. car unit and said generating unit, said connection being rigi-d with said generating unit, a bal-l and socket joint pivoting said connection about a center on the driving car unit, a concave sector member on the generating unit curved in a horizontal plane about said center, a convex segment member on said driving car unit curved-in a horizontal plane about the same center and yreceived within said concave sector, yand a resilient buffer including -a wearshoe on one .of said units pressed 'against the said curved member on the other unit.

2. In a self-energized, multiple-unit car train, a driving car unit .including a wheeled frame, a separate generating unit including a wheeled frame, a propelling connection between said driving car unit and said generating unit, said connection being rigid with said generating unit, a ball and socket joint Vpivoting said connection about a center on the driving ca'r unit, a concave sector on the generating unit curved :in a horizontal plane about said center and including a wear plate, a convex segment on said driving car unit received within said sector and spaced from the wear plate, and a buffer on said driving car including a wear shoe and yield-ing means urging said wear shoe against said sector.

I 3. In a self-energized, multiple-unit car train, a driving car unit includ-ing a wheeled frame, a separate generating unit including a wheeled frame, a propelling connection between said driving car unit and said generating unit, said connection being rigid with said generating unit, -a ball and socket joint pivoting said connection `about a center on the driving car unit, ya concave sector on the generating unit curved in a horizontal plane 'about said center and including a wear plate, a convex segment on said driving car unit received within said sector and spaced from the wear plate, and a buffer on said driving car-,including a ywear shoe and pneumatic means urging said wear shoe against said sector.

4. In a self-energized,multiple-unit car train, a driving car -unit including a wheeled frame, a separate `generating unit including a wheeled frame, a propelling connection between said 4driving car unit and said generating unit including a longitudinal element rigid with said frame of the generating unit, a 'ball and socket joint pivoting said connection `about a center on the driving car unit, a concave sector member on the generating uni-t curved in -a horizontal plane about said center, a convex segment member -on said driving car unit curved `in a horizontal plane about the same center and received Within said concave segment, and a resilient buffer including a wear shoe on one of said units pressed against the said curved member on the other unit.

5. In a self-energized, multiple-unit car train, a driving car unit including a wheeled frame, a 'separate generating unit including a wheeled fname, a propelling connection between said driving car `unit and said generating unit including a longitudinal element having a plurality of points of rigid connection with the frame of the generating unit, a ball 'and socket joint pivoting said connection about a center on the driving car unit, a concave sector member on the generating unit curved about said center, a convex segment member on said driving car unit curved about the same center and received within said concave sector, and a resilient buffer including =a wear shoe on one of said units pressed against the said curved member on the other unit.

6. In a self-energized, multiple-unit car train, a driving car unit including a wheeled frame, a separate generating unit including a wheeled frame, a propelling connection between said units said connection bei-ng rigid with one of said units, a ball and socket joint pivoting said connection about a center on the other of said units, a concave surface on one of said units curved in a horizontal plane `about said center, a convex surface on the other of said units curved in a horizontal plane about the same center and received within said concave surface, and a resilient buffer including friction means on one of said units pressed against the said curved surface on the other unit.

7. 'In a multiple-unit car train having a propelling conf nection between adjacent units of said train, the improvement wherein said propelling connection between said units is rigid with one of said uni-ts, a rball and sock-et joint pivoting said connection about a center on the other of said units, one of said units having an arcuate surface curved in a horizontal plane about said center, and a resilient buffer including friction means mounted on the other unit and pressed against the said curved surfaces.

8. lIn a multiple-unit car train having a rigid coupler connected between adjacent units of said train, the improvement comprising one car unit having a frame mounted on a single truck, an adjacent car unit having a frame supported on a plurality of trucks, said rigid coupler being rigidly connected to one of said units, a 4ball and socket joint pivoting said connection about a center on the other of said units, one of said units having an arcuate surface curved in a horizontal plane about said center, and a resilient buffer including friction means engaging said arcuate surface, said buffer being mounted on the other of said units to act along a line passing through said center and press said friction means against said arcuate surface.

9. A multiplie-unit car train comprising a forward car unit having a frame pivotally mounted on a single truck, a rearward car unit having a frame pivotally supported at spaced points on a plurality of trucks, a rigid coupler rigidly connected `to the frame of one of said units, a ball and sock-et joint pivoting said coupler to the frame of the other of said units, said coupler being connected to said rearward car unit at a point spaced forwardly a substantial distance from the point of support between the frame of said rearward car un-it and its forward supporting truck.

10. A multiple-unit car train as defined in claim 9 wherein the ball and socket joint between said coupler and lthe Vother of said units constitutes a center, one of said units is formed with an arcuate friction surface curved in a horizontal plane about said center, and a resilient buier including friction means engaging said friction surface is mounted on the other unit to act along a line passv ing through said center and presssa-id friction means agaist said `arcuate surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,039,585 Pascal Sept. 24, 1912 1,168,335 Rowntree Ian. 18, 1916 1,579,244 'Ped'neau Apr. 6, 1926 1,658,179 Wilson Feb. 7, 1928 1,727,070 Kruckenberg et al. Sept. 3, 1929 1,740,358 Latsh'aw Dec. 17, 1929 2,051,958 Madison Aug. 25, 1936 2,184,298 Groff Dec. 26, 1939 2,267,495 Einwaechter et al, Dec. 23, 1941 2,647,470` MacVeigh Aug. 4, 1953 

